Oakland teachers strike: No negotiations today, talks resume Sunday

Share this:

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 22: 11th grade teacher David Flores leads a chant as they form a picketing line during day 2 of Oakland Unified School District teachers strike outside Castlemont High School in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

Oakland Unified district and union officials say they intend to return to the bargaining table Sunday in an attempt to reach an agreement before teachers and other district employees go back on strike Monday morning for the third straight weekday.

District spokesman John Sasaki said the talks were scheduled to resume Saturday morning but that didn’t happen.

Mike Myslinski, a spokesman for the California Teachers Association who is working with the Oakland Education Association, described the situation differently. He said negotiators had previously agreed to take Saturday off, then meet again Sunday morning at an undisclosed location.

In a video posted to the union’s Facebook page after talks ended late Friday night, Oakland Education Association President Keith Brown told members to expect an update on negotiations at 6 p.m. Sunday.

But he also indicated the strike could continue, saying the union has ordered thousands of ponchos to help picketers stay dry with storms expected to bring rain to the Bay Area early next week.

Thousands of teachers, counselors and nurses went on strike Thursday morning, forming picket lines outside all 86 district schools and holding a large rally downtown. Picketing continued Friday, with another rally held in West Oakland. No events were planned for Saturday, Myslinski said.

At schools, the district recruited fill-in teachers and assigned administrators to lead classes, although many of Oakland Unified’s 37,000 students have not attended school during the strike.

The teachers union has been seeking a 12 percent pay bump over three years, along with class size reductions and more support services for students. The administration’s latest publicly disclosed offer included a 7 percent raise retroactive to Jan. 1, 2019, and lasting through June 30, 2021, plus a 1.5 percent one-time bonus. It initially offered a 5 percent raise over three years.

Teachers want the maximum class size to be two students smaller, while the district has offered to reduce the maximum size of most classes by one student and those with the “most vulnerable” students by two.

Sasaki said the union has not made a counter-offer since the district issued its latest proposal; Myslinski declined to say whether the union made a counter-offer.

Nico Savidge is a reporter covering courts, crime and law enforcement for The Mercury News. He grew up in Berkeley, then lived in Wisconsin for nine years before returning to the Bay Area, making him both a local and a transplant. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, he previously wrote for EdSource, the Wisconsin State Journal and The Janesville Gazette. He spends his time outside of work re-learning the Bay Area and losing his tolerance for cold weather.